A little more than a year ago, Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer uttered words that would have most college freshmen shaking in their sneakers.

Candice Wiggins, though, wasn't like most freshmen.

“She told me right off the bat, 'You're not a freshman. You're a senior to me,'” recalled Wiggins, now a sophomore. “'You're a senior, so I'm going to treat you like a senior.' I really respected that and appreciated that so much.”

To anyone who had ever seen her dribble, let alone shoot a basketball, it was probably no surprise that Wiggins' debut for the Cardinal was a success.

But even the well-respected VanDerveer herself couldn't have fully predicted the heights reached by Wiggins as she led Stanford to a Pac-10 championship, and eventually the Elite Eight, on her way to Pac-10 Player of the Year, a first for a freshman.

As easy as it seemed for her debut to end as a rousing success, it and all the changes around her since then beg the question – can Wiggins put together an equally impressive encore?

After all, gone are the five seniors who played around her, and months have passed since they – led by the young Wiggins herself – advanced deep into the NCAA Tournament.

“Last year, she had the advantage of playing with seniors,” VanDerveer said. “Now she has to be the leader. Now she has to make better decisions. Now she has to play better defense. Other people aren't carrying her. She has to carry other people.”

Wiggins, however, hasn't let her intensity waver, even if this is seen by some to be a rebuilding year full of challenges for the No. 14 Cardinal (17-5).

With an 11-2 record in the Pac-10, Stanford is on track to repeat as conference champions, though the road has had a few more bumps – like road losses to Washington and UCLA – in it than in the past.

Of course, some of that can be attributed to the change in personnel, which has resulted in added pressure on Wiggins and fellow returning starter Brooke Smith.

“Brooke and I both have a lot of responsibilities being the veterans of this team, especially with (Jillian Harmon) and (Rosaly Gold-Onwude) starting as freshmen,” admitted Wiggins, who graduated from La Jolla Country Day.

But a consummate team player, Wiggins has actively taken on the role as mentor.

“I was there last year, so I'm really trying to work on helping Roz mature as a point guard and as a player,” Wiggins said. “They're teaching me things and I'm learning from them, too. I'm really proud of the freshmen.”

VanDerveer said that type of leadership, and Wiggins' ability to cope with the the pressure that comes with it, is typical of her.

“She thrives in that kind of environment,” VanDerveer said. “She's a big-time player.”

VanDerveer isn't the only one who's noticed, either. With the accolades of her freshman year still fresh on their minds, opposing coaches are more than willing to throw specially designed defenses at Wiggins, hoping to slow her hot hand.

Still, Wiggins gets her points. She is ranked fourth in the nation in scoring average (21.1 points per game) and already surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this month.

When she's not scoring, Wiggins is empowering her teammates to provide the offense, whether it be with a stifling defensive effort, key free throws made down the stretch or well-placed assists.

“She loves when other people do well,” VanDerveer said. “She's a team player. She's all about her team.”

Once again, Wiggins' efforts have earned her midseason mention as one of the nation's top players, something VanDerveer has come to expect from this basketball prodigy.

Said VanDerveer: “You don't have enough ink in the paper for all the good things I could say about her. I love coaching Candice. She's a incredibly special young lady.”